
Marriott's Strategy for Its New Series Brand: Why It Started in India
Sure, Marriott had the scale, but it lacked a midscale brand in India — until now. With Fern and the launch of Series, it's finally filling the gap and going all-in on India's fastest-growing hotel segment.
When Marriott International introduced its newest global brand — Series by Marriott — it chose India as the launch market and took the unusual step of making an equity investment in its local partner, Mumbai-based Concept Hospitality.
Asked if this is the hotel company's first equity investment in the Indian hotel sector, Rajeev Menon, president of Asia Pacific (excluding China) at Marriott International, said, 'You could say that. Marriott will only invest for very strategic purposes. And we see this as a very unique opportunity.'
It's a notable move for the hotel giant, which traditionally expands through franchise and management contracts and typically launches brands in Western markets.
'For the 24 years that I've been with Marriott, very rarely do we make investments,' said Menon. 'So you can understand t
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This Toyota Outsold the Corolla Hybrid and RAV4 Put Together
Toyota has been a hybrid leader for years, blending efficiency and reliability into some of the most popular cars on the road. From compact sedans to family SUVs, their electrified lineup continues to resonate with fuel-conscious buyers. But 2025 is already rewriting the script. The usual best-sellers—the Corolla Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid—have been overtaken by an unexpected contender. This hybrid-only sedan has surged ahead, outselling both in the first quarter. If the momentum holds, it could mark a new era for Toyota's electrified future. In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Toyota and various other authoritative sources, including the EPA and TopSpeed. In March 2025, Toyota moved an impressive 29,655 units of the Camry Hybrid—putting it well ahead of the pack. That single model outsold two of Toyota's usual hybrid heavy-hitters combined. The Corolla Hybrid notched 5,529 sales, and the RAV4 Hybrid added 14,524, bringing their total to 20,053. Even together, they couldn't close the gap. That's nearly 10,000 fewer units than the Camry Hybrid—a surprising margin. If you'd asked me which Toyota hybrid would be on top, I wouldn't have guessed this one. What makes the Camry's sales surge even more impressive is that Toyota's March numbers for the RAV4 include an extra 2,631 plug-in hybrids. Even with that boost, the RAV4 still couldn't close the gap. The Camry Hybrid, which doesn't even offer a plug-in option, managed to outsell the Corolla Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid combined. No fancy charging port—just solid, old-school hybrid dominance. With numbers like these, it's easy to imagine a plug-in Camry being a runaway success if Toyota ever built one. We're not holding our breath, but how cool would that be? 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Toyota has dropped the traditional gas-only engines, signaling a serious push toward electrified driving. It's a bold move for a model that's been a longtime bestseller, but the payoff is clear. By going hybrid-only, Toyota has made the Camry simpler, more efficient, and affordable, without cutting corners on performance. Even with the switch to hybrid-only, the 2025 Camry keeps its pricing competitive across all four trims. You can get into the base LE for $28,700, while the sportier SE starts at $31,000. If you want a bit more luxury, the XLE comes in at $33,700, and the top-tier XSE kicks off at $34,900. For a midsize sedan that delivers great fuel economy, advanced safety, and a comfy, tech-packed interior, the Camry offers solid value. Fuel efficiency has always been a major draw for the Camry Hybrid, and the 2025 model keeps that momentum going strong. 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Central Banks in Asia Are Becoming Wary of Currency Intervention
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There's Been No Shortage Of Growth Recently For Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's (NASDAQ:APWC) Returns On Capital
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Asia Pacific Wire & Cable's (NASDAQ:APWC) returns on capital, so let's have a look. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.04 = US$9.2m ÷ (US$340m - US$108m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024). So, Asia Pacific Wire & Cable has an ROCE of 4.0%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Electrical industry average of 12%. See our latest analysis for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings , check out these free graphs detailing revenue and cash flow performance of Asia Pacific Wire & Cable. Shareholders will be relieved that Asia Pacific Wire & Cable has broken into profitability. The company now earns 4.0% on its capital, because five years ago it was incurring losses. Interestingly, the capital employed by the business has remained relatively flat, so these higher returns are either from prior investments paying off or increased efficiencies. With no noticeable increase in capital employed, it's worth knowing what the company plans on doing going forward in regards to reinvesting and growing the business. After all, a company can only become a long term multi-bagger if it continually reinvests in itself at high rates of return. On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. The current liabilities has increased to 32% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. Keep an eye out for future increases because when the ratio of current liabilities to total assets gets particularly high, this can introduce some new risks for the business. As discussed above, Asia Pacific Wire & Cable appears to be getting more proficient at generating returns since capital employed has remained flat but earnings (before interest and tax) are up. Since the stock has returned a solid 70% to shareholders over the last five years, it's fair to say investors are beginning to recognize these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist. On a separate note, we've found 1 warning sign for Asia Pacific Wire & Cable you'll probably want to know about. 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We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data